Summer Party Drinks

• Posted on 21 May 2018
• 0

With the arrival of Memorial Day, it is officially summer party season.Here are some fun party cocktail ideas to heat up your next soirée.

1. Wine Slushies – These are great on a hot summer day and take almost no time to prepare. Simply pour a bottle of wine (and optional liquor) into the bag and pop it in the freezer for a few hours. That’s it! They are available in Peach Bellini, Red Sangria, White Sangria and Strawberry flavors.
2. Sangria – The De La Costa Red Sangria is a bottled, off-dry style of sangria bursting with bright orange, lemon, cherry, cinnamon and ginger flavors. Chill and serve on its own, or make it semi-homemade with the following suggestions.
   • Add ginger ale or Schilling Ascender Ginger cider for a bit more spice.
   • Add Ca del Doge Prosecco Extra Dry to give it a touch of sweetness and lighter fruit flavors.
   • Add brandy for a traditional alcohol kick or Fireball Whiskey for a non-traditional kick.
   • Serve in a punch bowl or pitcher with any of the above plus cut up fruit to complete the presentation.

   If you want to make your own, this has been my favorite sangria recipe for a while and is great for parties. I generally use a red zinfandel or merlot. Try Rubus Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel or Secret Cathare Merlot.

   • 1 750ml bottle red wine
   • 1 each lemon, lime and orange cut into wedges
   • 2 tbs sugar
   • Splash of orange juice
   • 2 shots of gin or triple sec
   • 1 cup frozen strawberry slices
   • 1 small can diced pineapple with juice
   • 4 cups ginger ale
   • Squeeze the juice from the lemon, lime and orange wedges and then add fruit wedges to the juice. Add the remaining ingredients, except ginger ale. Ideally, chill for several hours or overnight. Add ginger ale (ideally this has been pre-chilled as well) prior to serving.
3. Pamplemouse – Pamplemousse means “grapefruit” in French and has become a popular cocktail. The Pamplemousse Rose is off-dry with grapefruit and white peach flavors. Add gin and lime juice for a more traditional style cocktail or add Ca del Doge Prosecco Extra Dry for the perfect alternative to Mimosas for brunch.
4. Schilling Cider Cocktails – Made from apples grown in the Pacific Northwest, Schilling makes handcrafted ciders in fun flavor combinations like Grapefruit Hibiscus or Passionfruit Pineapple. Each can comes with a cocktail recipe to kick things up to the next level:
   • Ascent with Schilling Ascender Ginger, Bourbon and lime
   • A Very Chill Paloma with Schilling Grapefruit and Chill, Tequila and lime
   • A One Way Ticket with Schilling Pineapple Passionfruit Passport, white rum, dark rum and lime
   • Road Trip Sangria with Schilling Road Trip, Cognac, fruit and mint
5. Bloody Marys with wine – If you don’t want to make your Bloody Mary Mix from scratch, try Texas Beach Bloody Mary Mix, and then add vodka and wine. Texas Beach Bloody Mary mix is robust and spicy, yet perfectly balanced. It’s known as the “bartender's friend” because everything you would normally use to create the perfect Bloody Mary mix is already included!
   • Winey Mary – Add a dry, spicy red like Bleasdale Langhorne Crossing
   • Bubbly Mary – Add your preferred dry sparkling wine